It's Complicated
by AthenaScarlet
Summary: Killian Jones saved his best friends' daughter from a curse 28 years ago. But that baby is a grown woman who has just broken the curse. Oh, and she also happens to be Killian's girlfriend. Cursed!Killian


_Based on artwork by winterbythesea and an idea from spartanguard and queen-mabs-revenge._

He didn't know why, but as soon as he heard the Evil Queen had breached the castle walls, his first instinct was to run into the nursery to protect the princess.

Killian Jones leaned against the locked door of her nursery and looked down at her as she slept quietly in his arms. How could she be so pure and quiet when chaos was raining down around her?

He couldn't stop the sad smile he gave her as she yawned and stretched her arms, her tiny feet kicking his hook. He had picked up that little souvenir in a battle against Rumplestiltskin, a battle he fought for his friend, David. Well, his friend and his leader.

It seemed like ages ago when he first met Prince Charming, as his wife Snow lovingly called him, the man who oversaw the kingdom's Navy. Killian and his brother had started out low in the ranks and worked their way up until he was serving as a lieutenant under his brother's captaincy. David had been on his own adventures before meeting up with Snow, the princess of this realm, and marrying her.

Killian could still remember the looks on their faces when they told him and his brother that they were expecting a baby. Four friends who celebrated together when a daughter arrived under the toughest of circumstances. The Evil Queen was threatening to enact a curse, threatening to take away this happy ending. And now, only a few days after the baby's birth, she was about to fulfill her quest.

Killian was pulled out of his thoughts by the commotion on the other side of the door.

"Brother!"

"In here!" he yelled back to Liam.

"Where?"

He swallowed. "The nursery."

He could hear their footsteps on the other side of the door.

"Is Emma with you?" David asked.

Killian looked down again at the sleeping baby. "Aye."

"Listen to me," David said. "Make sure this door is locked and do not open it under any circumstances."

He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. Then he stood, sword in one hand, baby in the other, and did as he was told. "The door is locked, David," he replied.

"Good," David said. "Now you have to put Emma in the wardrobe."

Killian could only stare at the wooden door. He knew what would happen if he put her in there. He was with Snow and David when the fairy explained the magic it contained. Putting her in there would mean they would all have to say goodbye to their princess.

"I can't do it."

"Killian, you have to," Liam explained.

"I can't!"

"Lieutenant!" David yelled from the other side of the door. "As your leader, I am ordering you to put her in the wardrobe."

Killian stared ahead. "This is your daughter, David. I'm going to unlock this door and you can say goodbye to her yourself. You can get Snow here in time to say goodbye."

He began to reach for the handle, his hand stopping in midair as the prince yelled "No!" from the other side.

"We don't have time, Killian," he said. "Snow can't get to us anymore, and the queen is almost here. You need to protect Emma!"

Then he heard Liam's voice. "Be the hero we know you are, brother."

Killian's sword wavered in his hand. How could he do this? How could he put this little baby in the wardrobe, knowing she was going to be alone somewhere without them. Knowing that she would have to grow up without her parents. That she would be a child burdened with saving them all. How could he do it?

"Killian?" David said. "Promise me."

He could hear the queen's boots in the distance booming against the stone floor as she got closer and closer to them. "Charming, where are you?" Her voice sounded sinister and teasing.

"Promise me," David pleaded.

Killian took a deep breath and steadied himself. "I promise."

He didn't wait for an answer. The queen's footsteps were getting closer and he could barely make out the words coming from his brother on the other side of the door.

But he wasn't paying attention to any of that. His turned and walked over to the wardrobe, his footsteps determined and purposeful. Dropping his sword on the ground, he opened the door and gently laid the princess inside, making sure her white blanket was tucked around her to keep her warm. Then his hand slowly slipped from her.

"Be safe, princess," he said as he closed the wardrobe. "We will see you soon."

The tree truck began to emit a light from inside that grew as it broke free from its magic confines. Then it disappeared and the room was once again bathed in a cloudy purple light from the window.

"Knock, knock," came a teasing singsong voice from the hallway.

Killian turned as the door was blown off its hinges. The queen stood there in all her evil glory, and Killian could see David and his brother lying in the hallway.

"Oh, don't worry. They're not dead," the Evil Queen said. "That wouldn't be any fun, would it?"

He clamored for his sword, picking it up from the ground and pointing it directly at her. "You won't get away with this!" he yelled at her.

"But I already did," she replied. "Now where's the princess?"

Killian gritted his teeth. "She's gone."

"Gone?"

"You're too late." The queen took a step forward and he raised his sword towards her. "We sent her away to a place you can never get to her. You lose."

The queen just cackled as a purple smoke began to billow from the hallway behind her into the room. "It's no matter," she said with a flip of her hand. "My curse is almost complete and you won't remember any of this, not even her."

The curse began to weave its way around Killian's legs, but the lieutenant stood his ground, his sword still at the ready. "Why are you doing this?"

The queen gave him one last evil smile. "Because I can."

xxx xxx xxx

Killian was trying hard to fight back the tears in his eyes. This man he had worked with down at the docks, this man who had become his friend, was his brother. They had found one another even when they didn't know how important they were to each other.

The curse was broken now. Killian had his brother again.

He pulled away and stared at Liam. "I can't believe it's you," Killian said, trying to hold back the emotion in his voice.

His brother gave him a warm smile. "It's me." Liam clapped him on the shoulder and stepped back. "So I guess you listened to David when he told you to put the princess in that wardrobe."

"Aye," Killian said. "I am a man of honor, and David gave me an order."

"And now she's saved us," he said with a wistful smile. Then Liam nodded up towards the main street of Storybrooke. "Perhaps we should go find Snow and Charming and our princess."

"Perhaps we should," he replied with a smile.

The brothers had made it only a few steps up the dock when Killian froze. Oh no. No. No no no no.

"Killian?" his brother asked with a concerned look. "You OK?"

He could only stare ahead in shock. "Emma is the princess."

"Well, obviously."

Killian looked up at his brother. "Emma, my girlfriend, is the princess who saved us. The princess I saved from the curse."

Liam's jaw dropped in shock and the two brothers stared at each other for several moments before a teasing smile spread across the captain's face. "Wait, the woman you've been dating? The woman you've been sleeping with, that woman is the princess?"

"Aye," he said quietly.

"You've been sleeping with David's daughter?"

Killian's head fell, his shoulders slumped. After years of being miserable in this cursed town, he had finally found this amazing woman who had come into his life and made him a better man. A woman who had loved him despite his flaws and insecurities. Someone who was the best woman he had ever known and, frankly, the best sex he ever had.

He was sleeping with David's daughter.

Liam's laughter finally pierced through his shocked brain. "Oh, brother," he said as he threw his arm around Killian's shoulders. "There is a lot we're going to have to figure out now that this curse is broken."

Killian let his brother drag him along, his feet heavy with uncertainty. Of all the women in all the world, Emma had found him. As if this whole situation weren't complicated enough.

The brothers walked up to Granny's where a group of people had gathered in the street. The dwarves. The naval crew they had served with. Villagers and people from the castle.

Liam leaned over. "I do love you dearly, brother, but there's someone else I want to see." He straightened up and smiled before walking towards the waitress from Granny's. "Red!" he yelled.

Ruby turned, her hair twirling around her as she spotted Liam. A huge smile broke out on her face and she ran to him, her lips smashing against his as they stood in the middle of the street. Liam seemed to have had a bit more luck with love in this cursed town than Killian.

That's when Killian saw her. Emma. Her blonde hair was unmistakeable. Snow White had her in a warm embrace, a mother reunited with her daughter, and David's hand cradled the back of her head. Killian remembered the way David had done the same thing with his baby girl in those few fleeting days in the castle. And they were back with their baby.

Their baby who was a woman now, a woman Killian loved and cherished and believed in. A woman he had mind-blowing sex with two nights ago.

His best friends' baby princess.

Dammit.

"Killian?" He looked up to see Snow staring at him over her daughter's shoulder, a smile on her face. "Killian!"

She came running towards him and threw her arms around his neck. "We didn't know if you had made it." Snow pulled away and smiled at him, her hand lingering on his cheek. "Oh, Killian. It's so good to see you again."

"It definitely is," David said as he came up behind his wife.

The prince pulled the two of them into a warm embrace, and Killian responded in kind. To be with his friends again was truly heartwarming.

"I missed you."

David and Snow pulled away, but Snow's hand lingered on Killian's hook. She always had a way of making him feel less self conscious about his missing hand, always encouraging him even after his injury. It was just the kind of person she was.

"We missed you too, Lieutenant." She had tears of joy in her eyes, and Killian couldn't help but smile back at her in encouragement.

David clasped his hand on Killian's shoulder and smiled. "Thank you for obeying my orders."

"First for everything, eh?" he said sarcastically.

David laughed while Snow continued to give him that warm smile that always made him feel at home in her castle. He had known them already because of the years they had spent together in this cursed town, but to see them again as who they truly were made him feel like he was back home again in the Enchanted Forest.

"Killian?"

The three of them turned to the sound of a new voice behind them. Emma was standing in the street, staring at him with the green eyes he now remembered from the first time she had looked at him, only a few hours after she was born.

"Emma." He walked towards her, his feet determined but steady. His hand slipped its way around her waist as he slowly pulled her close, tucking his head into the crook of her neck, and he could feel her hands slip around his shoulders. She still felt like the same Emma, smelled like the same Emma. She may be a princess now, a savior, but she was still the same woman he had fallen in love with after she arrived in this cursed town months earlier.

He could feel her sigh as she leaned into him. Then she pulled away and looked at him, her hand caressing his cheek. "You OK?"

Killian grabbed her hand and pulled it to his lips, gently kissing the back of it. "I am now," he said.

She gave him an unsure look, as if she knew there was more going on. "There's something you're not telling me," she said.

He could only answer with a quiet nod. Emma always said she could tell when someone was hiding the truth, and there was no use hiding from it now.

"What's going on?" she asked with concern.

He turned around to see Snow and David standing together with their hands entwined. Snow gave him a curious look while her prince stared intently at his friend. "I would like to know the same thing," David said sternly.

Killian took a step away from Emma, who gave him a scowl in return. Dammit, this really was going to suck.

"Emma, I would like you to meet my dearest friends, Snow and David." Then he took a deep breath and turned to his friends. "Snow, David. I would like you to meet my girlfriend, Emma."

David's hand fell from Snow's. "Your girlfriend?" he bellowed as he set his hands on his hips.

"David, stop it," Snow admonished.

"He's dating our daughter!"

"Isn't it great?" Liam said triumphantly as he wandered over and clapped David on the shoulder. "Hello, your highness." He smiled and leaned over, giving Snow a light peck on her cheek. "You don't look like you've aged a day."

Snow gave him a warm smile. "It's good to see you and to see you happy, captain."

"I have my brother and my friends back," Liam said. "I'm pretty happy."

David, however, seemed to be completely oblivious to the conversation. "Liam, your brother is dating my daughter."

" _Our_ daughter, dear."

"Our daughter," David replied sternly.

"And why not?" Liam walked over and put his arm around his brother. "Wouldn't you want your daughter to be with someone you can trust will treat her right?"

"OK, that's enough!"

Four sets of eyes turned to look at Emma, who had finally found her voice again. "First, I'm an adult. I can be with who I want. And second, we need to find Regina. I'll take David in the sheriff's car so we can get there faster."

David's look softened. "You can call me dad," he said quietly.

"You're David," she replied.

Snow walked up to her daughter and grabbed her hand. "Emma, we'll be fine with whatever you want to call us, OK? And however you want to handle this. Won't we, David?"

"Sure," he replied. "But you're not dating Killian."

"Mate, I'm right here," the lieutenant said.

"Enough!"

All eyes turned towards Emma again, who seemed to be handling this whole situation very different than the rest of them.

"You," she said, pointing to David. "In the car, now. The rest of you can walk over to Regina's."

Emma looked at Killian, who nodded in understanding. Now was definitely not the time to try and unravel the weirdness of this whole situation - at least not for Emma. He was more than fine with that.

Emma stomped away past David, who gave Killian one more determined look before turning to follow the sheriff - his daughter - and get to Regina's house.

The three friends stood together and watched them go as Snow slipped her hand around Killian's hook and gave it a little pull. "Give him some time," she said gently. "And I'll probably need some as well if that's OK."

Killian turned and looked at her. "Of course, your highness," he said. "And really, you know I would never do anything to hurt you."

"I know," she said with a smile. "Now let's head to Regina's and see if they need any help, shall we?"

Liam nodded as Killian stared, his eyes focused ahead and not at the woman by his side. "Just out of curiosity, Emma didn't mention anything about us, did she?" he asked her.

Snow took a deep breath and gave him a tight smile. "She did. Probably more than a woman should tell her mother."

Snow started her walk down the block, Killian staring at her back as Liam was trying hard not to laugh at his misfortune.

xxx xxx xxx

The Jewel of the Realm was much quieter than Killian had remembered it in the past. Although in the past, it had an actual crew. But then this was the present and things were a bit different.

After making sure Regina was well aware that she couldn't cause any more harm to the town, the people in it left her alone - at least for a little bit. Killian and Liam headed down to the local bar where they found the old crew had assembled. A few bottles of rum was emptied and Liam had gone off to be with Ruby for the night, leaving Killian to stay in the captain's quarters of their ship in the harbor.

The Jewel was still in immaculate shape, probably because Liam and Killian had taken such good care of it when they assumed it belonged to the mayor and she threatened them to keep it in good condition or risk her wrath. But this was their ship and Killian would never allow that witch to make anyone think it belonged to her ever again.

He didn't seem like he was the only one interested in it though. Footsteps echoed on the deck and Killian stuck his head up to see who had decided to trek on its timbers. As soon as he saw the black boots level with his eyes, he knew exactly who it was.

Emma.

He started walking up the steps, clearing his throat to get her attention, and her blonde hair twisted around her as she turned and caught sight of him.

"Captain?" she asked apprehensively.

"Actually, it's just lieutenant," he replied. "Liam's the captain of the Jewel."

She pulled her lips tight and looked down at her boots. "Right, of course," she said.

His hand gripped the door to his cabin a little tighter. This was all so odd and so weird for both of them, but he couldn't blame Emma for this strangeness. It wasn't her fault after all.

"Would you like to come down?" he asked. "I could show you around below deck a bit."

"Sure," she said reluctantly as she slowly walked towards him.

Killian took her hand and helped her down the stairs before following her below deck. He watched as she surveyed the captain's quarters, taking in the woodwork and the books and the table in front of them.

"I expected the captain's quarters to be a little more…gold or gregarious or something."

He gave her a slight smile. "This ship is a bit more modest than what you see in a Hollywood movie."

"I guess so," she said quietly.

"Would you like to sit?" he asked.

She nodded and he watched her walk, expecting her to take a seat at the table in the middle of the room. But she went past it and took a spot on the small bed in the corner, her feet dangling over the edge and swaying with the movement of the ship. Perhaps she was more comfortable here than he was, and he wasn't about to discourage that.

Killian sat down next to her. He was close enough to show that he still cared about her while still giving her some room in case their relationship may have changed in the past few hours since the curse was broken.

The silence in the room was almost overwhelming, but it was Emma who finally broke it with a smile request.

"Flask?"

He nodded. "Aye."

Killian took his rum out of his back pocket and handed it over to her. "Well, I'm glad to see at least some things haven't changed," she said before taking a long drink from it.

Handing it back slowly, she gave him a small smile, her fingers lingering on the flask as he pulled it from her reach and took his own drink.

"So where is Henry right now?"

"Safe," she said. "Still in the hospital. Dr. Whale wants to keep him there overnight."

"I'm glad he'll be OK," Killian said as he put the flask back in his pocket.

"Me too." Emma's eyes looked up to the ceiling and she let out a small sigh. "This is weird, right?" she asked.

He laughed nervously. "Yeah, this is weird."

She turned and gave him a small smile. "Do you remember the first time we met?"

He did. He still remembered it so vividly. Trying not to let the emotions overwhelm him, he turned and looked at the map Liam had hung on the wall across from the bed.

"I remember you were only a few hours old and yet already had those piercing green eyes but just these wisps of blonde hair. And your parents made it no secret that you were the most amazing thing that had come into their world."

He turned to see her staring at him with a strange look on her face.

"Was that too much?" he asked.

Her eyes narrowed a bit towards him. "Um, actually I was going to mention when I walked into Granny's and saw you."

Of course. Of course that was still the first time Emma remembered meeting him. "Right," he said quietly. "Sorry. It just…" He tried to find the right words. "I'm still not sure about any of this."

"Me neither."

Her hand instinctively reached for his hook, her fingers wrapping around the metal. "Sailor injury?"

He nodded. "And yet your parents, especially your mother, never made me feel like I was missing a part of myself," he said. "They're good people, Emma."

She looked up and gave him a sad smile. "I know," she said. "I just need some time."

"I'm assuming that goes for us too?"

She looked up at him, her green eyes dazzling in the moonlight seeping in from the windows. "Just a little."

Killian couldn't blame her to be honest. This was strange for him and he had finally remembered everything. Emma was only a baby at the time and couldn't even recall her kingdom or where she came from. It must have been so jarring for her to be in this position, to be told you were the savior for all these people and not knowing what that actually meant.

He reached over to cover her hand and his hook together. "You can have all the time you need," he told her.

Her hand slipped from his grasp as she stood up next to him. "I should get back to Henry," she said.

"Of course."

She took a few steps toward the exit and paused. "You know, the reason I asked if you remembered the first time we met - well, the first time I remember meeting you. I thought of it today." Her eyes began to brighten a bit more towards him. "I walked into the diner and you somehow already knew who I was and that Henry had brought me to town."

"Leroy is quite the gossip," he said with a laugh.

She smiled. "He is," she said. "But the thing I remembered about that was how concerned you were for Henry. Remember asking me all those questions?"

"Aye."

"You started with whether he was OK and how did he get to Boston and how did I get him home and on and on," she explained. "And I just felt like you really cared about him."

"I still do, Emma." Killian stood and walked over to where she was standing. "And I still care about you. I know the circumstances have changed, and I know this is weird for both of us, but I will always care about you."

Emma's lip quivered just a bit before she reached up and put her arms around his neck, pulling him down to her. He couldn't help but slip his hands around her waist and pull her close. She felt like she was trying to find a way to anchor herself back to the earth, back to some sort of reality, and he felt the same way about her. They were a bit adrift in an unknown sea, but they still had each other to rely on in whatever form their relationship would take.

She ran her hand through his hair and pulled her head back slightly. "I love you, Killian," she whispered in his ear.

"And I you."

He pulled away slowly and gently kissed her forehead.

Emma lingered there a bit and then stepped back, an awkward look crossing her face. "I should get going," she said.

"Of course."

Her hand caressed the metal of his hook and then slipped off of it as she walked away.

Killian watched as she paused with one foot on the stairs to leave. "Um, so I guess thanks for saving my life," she said with a smile that was part awkward and part teasing.

He bowed his head towards her. "And thank you for saving mine, princess."

Emma smiled. "Good night, Killian."

"Good night, love."

He followed her up the stairs and stood on the deck of the Jewel as she walked down the gangplank, her hair blowing in the breeze off the open water. At the end of the dock, she turned around and gave him a small wave before disappearing into the dark.

Yes, this was going to be weird and there was going to be quite a bit that they needed to figure out. After all, he was dating his best friends' daughter. But as Killian put his head down on the captain's bed, he knew things would find a way of turning out alright in the end. And that night, he slept better than he had in 28 years.


End file.
